"More like his slave. I made a deal with the Court years ago. I wanted to be rich. I wanted to be the best salesman this world has ever seen. I got my wish. h.e.l.l, I've literally sold the Brooklyn Bridge to three different billionaires in the last decade alone. I made a star out of Joe Vince when n.o.body would give that poor sap the time of day without me. But I've been bound to the Court ever since.

They own me. But if they're all dead . . ."

He moves ever so slightly away from Dax. I take advantage of his mistake and rush at him, a bolt of lightning building inside my chest. I raise my arm to fling it at him, but he swings around, looking me in the eye, and commands, "Be still!"

My body goes stiff, my arm still raised. I am frozen like a petrified tree. I cringe, fighting to break loose from Simon's mental hold.

"You think I like being at the beck and call of you little dung eaters? I'm a broker. A dealer. And you've got one of the finest artifacts I've ever encountered. This girl is my ticket to the life I should have had when I made that deal with the Court. In fact, my buyer is on his way here now.

"Daphne, be a dear and give me the Compa.s.s," Simon says, turning his full power of persuasion on her.

She starts to lift the Compa.s.s in her hand, but I can see her struggling against Simon's will. To my surprise, she clutches the Compa.s.s to her chest instead of handing it to him. "No," she says. "And I'll never go anywhere with you."

"Well, isn't that a neat trick," Simon says. "Our little Cypher seems to be impervious to my charms.

Must be because you've got a few drops of G.o.d blood running through your veins. Never mind. That's why I brought a little leverage. Joe?" He snaps his fingers. "You can move now." Joe lurches forward, as if falling out of a trance. He makes a move to grab Daphne out of the boys'

grasp, but Simon commands him to stop. He freezes once more.

"Now, I could just get one of these boys to tear that Compa.s.s out of your hands and give it to me. But I think a little game of Simonsays might be more fun. You know the rules, don't you, boys and girls?

You do as Simon says"-he reaches behind him and pulls a dark, glossy weapon from his belt-"or you're out."

"Gun!" Lexie shrieks. She tries to flee to the corner of the room, where Sarah stands motionless, staring at her easel. It's as if the Oracle isn't even conscious that we are still here.

"Not so fast," Simon says, stopping Lexie. "I think we have our first player. What's your name, dear?"

"What?" she says, sounding even smaller than she looks.

"Your name!"

"L . . . Lexie."

"Simon says, come here, Lexie." He beckons her with the gun. "It's okay. I only bite if you don't listen to me." Unlike Daphne, Lexie is unable to resists his persuasive orders and goes to him.

"Simon says, hold out your hands. That's good. Now take this." He places the gun into her shaking hands, wraps them around the handle, and gently places her finger on the trigger, positioning her arms so she's pointing it at Joe.

chapter fifty-four.

daphne

"Simon says, get ready to shoot."

Lexie nods, tears streaming down her face.

"No," I say to Mr. Fitzgerald-or Simon, rather. "Don't do this." "Now, now, Daphne. Give me the Compa.s.s and come with me to rendezvous with the Skylords, and we can avoid this mess." I don't know if the others can hear it, but a strange resonance rattles through his voice when he gives his requests. It permeates everything around him, engulfing me. It takes all of my mental strength not to give in.

"Don't do it, Daphne," Haden says. I can see him struggling to break free from the hold Simon has over him. I can hear pain aching from his body.

I shake my head. I don't know what it all means to be a Cypher, and I don't know what this Compa.s.s thing is supposed to do, and I had sure been reluctant to take it from the Oracle-but the moment Sarah had pressed it into my hand, it felt like it belonged there. Like it belongs to me. No, more like it is a piece of me. Giving it away would be as impossible as tearing off my own arm.

"Then we'll get to play our little game after all," Simon says. "Guns are such barbaric things. I much prefer to use my words. . . . That is why I am going to give you until the count of ten to decide to listen to me. But if you let me get to number one, your friend here is going to shoot your father." I clutch the Compa.s.s closer to my chest, looking from Simon to Joe. I know I can't give it to him, but I can't let him hurt my father. Tobin and Garrick still hold me tightly. I can't break free from both of them. Deep, low notes of fear and panic fill the room, from five people unable to move.

"Ten," Simon says. "Nine."

Lexie sobs, her arms shaking along with her hands now. "Don't do this, Lexie, please," I beg her.

"Don't listen to him." "I can't lower my arms," she says between her tears.

"Eight," Simon says. A gleeful tone dances around him. He really does think this is fun. "Any last words, Joe? Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"Daphne," Joe says, able to speak again. "Don't give yourself over to him. Not for me. I'm not worth it."

"Seven."

I lower the Compa.s.s, holding it out in my hands.

"No, Daphne," Haden says.

"Six."

I shake my head. It will feel like ripping out my own heart, but I need to give in. "I have to, Dad."

"No, you don't, Daph. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve you. Not after what I did."

"Oh," Simon says. "We're having a last-minute confessional. This should be good." I look at Joe as he hangs his head. I recognize the tone coming off him as remorse. "What are you talking about?" I ask him, but part of me fears that I already know the answer. It had been scratching at me since I realized Tobin's mother is somehow in on what is going on in Olympus Hills-and is covering up for the Underlords. That town isn't just any town-it is a staging ground for the Underrealm. A place for them to find their Boons and take them away and let the local government cover up their messes. I'd seen Simon once before I was introduced to him as Joe's manager at Bobby's restaurant. He'd been at the mayor's party-the man in the bicycle helmet she'd been meeting with. That was probably the night my name had been added to her list. Which meant that I'd been brought to Olympus Hills for the Underrealm's convenience, rather than Haden's being sent to Utah. And the person who brought me there was Joe. . . .

"I traded you, Daphne," Joe says, confirming my worst fear. "I traded you for fame and fortune." My hands fall to my sides. I can barely keep my grasp on the Compa.s.s. My heart drops and feels like it's being crushed underneath the weight of his words. Suddenly, all the sound stops. There is no music. No notes. No vibrations. The rush of silence makes my head swim and I feel my legs wanting to give way. "How could you?" I ask, but my words are barely audible, and a low, rumbling song of sorrow begins to grow deep inside of me.

"I didn't know, Daphne. I didn't know you even existed at the time. It happened after I'd only been with your mother for three days. This man came to me. He claimed to be a talent scout at first. He said he'd heard me play at the Crossroads and he offered me a deal. He said I could be famous; I could be the G.o.d of rock; he could grant me every dream I had ever had; and all I had to do was stick my hand in a bowl of glittering water and swear that someday I would give him my child in return. I didn't know your mother was pregnant with you; I swear it. I thought I could cheat the system. I agreed to the deal, thinking I would just never have any children. That's why I left your mum. That's why I haven't touched another woman since. . . . I didn't even know you existed until you were three years old. . . .

That's why I stayed away from you. The guilt was too much to bear, and I knew if I got attached, it would only be harder. And I tried, Daphne . . . I've tried to take it back. I've tried to stop this from happening."

"Then why did you bring me to Olympus Hills?"

Joe's face crumples. "They couldn't get to you in Ellis. Simon said I had to bring you to them instead.

. . . I had to have you in place by the time they sent someone for you. . . . I am so sorry, Daphne."

"But why?" I ask. I am too stunned to cry. Too stunned to be angry. "Why did you still go through with it?"

He shakes his head. "I can't explain it."

"The water," Haden says. "He made an unbreakable vow."

"I couldn't stop it. I couldn't resist. And Simon compelled me not to tell you. But that's why I was writing the play for you. I wanted you to know how Orpheus survived the underworld, how he escaped, so maybe it could help you. . . ."

"We're done now," Simon says, his weird, resonant tone permeating the room again. "We've still got a game to finish. I believe we're at number six."

Lexie whimpers.

The silence that buffered me before is completely gone now. I hum to myself, trying to drown out Joe's song of remorse mixed with the frightened notes coming off of everyone. I can't concentrate, otherwise.

"You're not getting tired of holding that heavy gun now, are you, Lexie?" Simon says. "Raise those hands a little higher"

I shift the tone of my hum so it matches the resonate vibration coming off Simon's persuasive voice. I don't know if sending his tone back at him will have any effect on him like it had on the Keres. I've never used it on a person before, but know I have to at least try it.

Lexie complies with Simon's order but she raises her hands only about an inch. The gun is aimed just below Joe's heart. Tobin's grip on my arm loosens ever so slightly. I look at Simon. Sweat beads on his forehead. I can see the veins bulging at his neck. It must be taking all his strength to keep this many people under his control. Is he starting to lose his grip? I hum louder, directing the tone at him.

"Five." He wipes at his nose. "Stop that," he says about my humming. "It's annoying." I increase the volume.

"Four," he says to spite me.

"Daphne," Tobin whispers, squeezing my arm twice.

"Please, Daph, don't trade yourself for me," Joe sobs. "You can still run. You can still-"

"Three! Two!" Simon screeches through gritted teeth. Blood drips from one of his nostrils. "What's it going to be, Daphne?"

"Don't," Haden says, with an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Simon's mouth starts to form the word one, and I can see Lexie cringing, her finger on the trigger.

"Stop," I say. "Take it. Take the Compa.s.s. Take me." I hold the Compa.s.s out to him in my left hand, as far as I can, with Garrick gripping my shoulder. "Just take it, okay?" Simon steps away from Dax and reaches for the Compa.s.s. I swing my right arm as Tobin's grip on me falls away, and I slam my fist right into Simon's already bleeding nose. He stumbles backward, clasping his face. "Why, you little bi-"

At that moment, a burst of lightning combusts from Haden's petrified arm. He twists his hand just enough to send the bolt into the fluorescent light above Simon's head. Gla.s.s and shattered plastic rain down on us.

chapter fifty-five.

haden

Lightning swirls and builds in my chest-threatening to explode through my rib cage if it doesn't find a place to go. When Daphne hits Simon, his hold on me weakens enough for me to channel the energy into my frozen arm. Brim, still clinging to my shoulder, yowls in protest, but I twist my hand enough to aim the bolt above Simon's head.

The force of the bolt's recoil throws me backward as the light fixture above us explodes. Tobin grabs Daphne, pulling her out of harm's way as shards rain from the ceiling. Simon covers his head and shrieks, "One!" just as Lexie drops the gun.

It clatters to the floor.

His hold on us is broken.

A large hunk of plaster from the ceiling hits Joe, and he sinks to the ground. Garrick runs for the door.

Simon scrambles for the gun, crawling over plastic shards to get to it. Dax goes after him, but Simon sends his elbow back, slamming it into his neck. Dax rolls over onto his side. "Stop breathing," Simon says, glaring into Dax's eyes.

Brimstone yowls from her perch on my shoulder, her claws sunk deep into my skin, but it's enough to get me moving again. I push myself up from the floor in response to her protests, in time to watch Dax clutch desperately at his own breathless throat and Simon reach for the gun. I go after him. But I'm too late. His hand closes over the handle as I lunge at him. He thrusts the gun against my chest.

"No!" Daphne screams.

Simon shrieks with pain and yanks his hand back, dropping the gun-a small gray cat is attached to his wrist by her teeth. Brim, who had leapt from my shoulder when I went for Simon, has sunk her tiny fangs into his arm.

He shakes his arm violently and sends Brim flying. She hits the top of the table-hard-and rolls a couple of times across the surface, then lands on her four little feet next to Sarah's finger paints. She hisses and spits, turning in a circle and baring her minuscule teeth in anger.

"Are you an idiot?!" I rasp. "You've made her angry."

"I'm not afraid of your kitten," Simon says, sucking the blood from the small puncture marks in his wrist.

Brim shakes and growls. The noise grows deep and fierce.

"She's a full-grown h.e.l.lcat, you harpy mouth. Don't you have any idea what happens when you get a h.e.l.lcat really mad?"

Simon's eyes widen. He goes for the gun but I kick it under one of the couches. A crack echoes through the room as the table Brim stands on collapses under her weight. Lexie shrieks and cowers in the far corner of the room-with good reason. A giant paw, bigger than my own head, swipes at Simon's back, sending him crashing into Sarah's easel. A great, hulking, three-headed panther- almost as large as my car-glares down at me. She huffs huge breaths simultaneously from her three mouths, making my hair float up for a second before settling back down around my ears. A swift movement catches the corner of my eye.

"Watch out," I shout to the beast as Simon takes a swing at her with a piece of wood from the broken easel. The wood cracks and splinters against the panther's back.

The beast's three heads roar in pain. Simon has only made her angrier. Turning her attention away from me, she pounces on him.

I try to rouse Dax, who lies in a faint in the middle of the floor as Simon's screams fill the room.

Daphne runs for Joe and tries to pull him up. She still clutches the Compa.s.s tightly in her hand. The beast has Simon by the throat now. She shakes him violently back and forth. His limbs flail in the air like he's made of nothing but b.l.o.o.d.y rags. The panther releases him, and lets him try to crawl away before she pounces on him again, flips him over, and tears at his stomach.

h.e.l.lcats always play with their prey before killing it.

Simon's screams turn to whimpers. The beast turns away from what remains of his body. His blood saturates the fur on her muzzles. Her giant paws are soaked in it. Anger and frenzy cloud her eyes and she bares her teeth at me while crouching. Preparing to attack. Her tail twitches wildly behind her, taking out what remains of the table.

Tobin grabs Sarah, pulling her out of her stupor, and they run along the side of the wall, trying to get out of the way. But one of the beast's heads catches the movement, and she swats hard in their direction. Her claws tear into Sarah's side, flinging her across the room. She bounces off the window, as if she were only a pebble, and lands in a crumpled heap.